More CC vs RC questions was RE: Killer Octave & Pitch Raise

[Ron Nossaman]

>In a RC/S board, tension/compression runs completely in the direction the 
>Great Goddess intended -- longitudinally.  Trees were designed to be very 
>sturdy and elastic in that direction.  Vibration will not be damped so 
>much by hysteresis in the system, although there will still be *some* 
>hysteresis. I would think a RC/S board, therefore, would tend to be more 
>"brilliant" or "bright."

More responsive or efficient, I would say.


>Of course  there's another very important factor in all this mix: voicing. 
>Side by side, CC and RC/S pianos are going to be voiced by the same 
>technician to have the same tonal outcome in mind.  I suspect a CC piano's 
>hammers are going to be inherently brighter than a RC/S piano's in order 
>to achieve a similar tone.

That has been my experience.


>However, I also suspect the upper partials on a note played on a RC/S 
>piano will sustain longer, retaining more of the the "brightness" of the 
>sound throughout the note's duration.

Typically longer sustain, more fundamental in the bass, and a nice sparkly 
high end, in spite of the softer hammers.


>So while the sound may be similar on attack, it may differ on 
>sustain.  The difference may be very subtle.  Perhaps all things being 
>equal, the sustain in the high treble of a RC/S piano will also be 
>inherently longer, due to less hysteresis in the system.
>
>If all this is true, a CC and RC/S piano may have somewhat different 
>flavors in performance.  A CC piano may feel/sound slightly brighter 
>during faster passages and darker during slower passages, with melody 
>delineated more clearly from accompaniment.  A RC/S piano might be more 
>uniform and overall better suited for more "brilliant" works (acoustically 
>brilliant, that is).

My experience is that the dynamic range is more extended toward the low 
end. The efficient board and softer hammers make soft playing possible.

Even so, there is enough overlap in performance capabilities and response 
between the good CC and RC&S boards to make them difficult to separate tonally.

Ron N